In today's world, professional athletes have become the heroes for many; but when UNB goaltender Gene Chiarello made a triumphant return to CIS hockey Oct. 6th by strapping on the pads and getting between the pipes for the Varsity Reds in a game against their Fredericton rivals, the St. Thomas Tommies, people in Fredericton got to see a real hero. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. native put a positive end to his 15-month battle with brain cancer, stopping 16 of 18 shots over two periods of hockey to lead the V-Reds to a 4-2 victory over the Tommies in an emotional game before a cheering crowd of 3,114 fans at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton.
When he was announced as UNB's starting goaltender, he received a standing ovation and the pounding of sticks from players on both sides. Chiarello had been diagnosed with brain cancer and told he probably wouldn't live; undergone two dangerous brain operations; and undergone six brutal months of intensive chemotherapy sessions. But he always had the goal of getting on with his life, and playing hockey for the V-Reds. People are amazed that, not only is he alive and well, but he is playing hockey again.
Chiarello began playing hockey at the age of three in his native Sault Ste. Marie and in his very early days was a high scoring forward. Much to his father's dismay, Gene tried goaltender at the age of seven, and never looked back. At the age of 13, Gene faced disappointment when he was cut from the Soo Rep Tournament team, with coaches telling him that he wouldn't go anywhere in hockey. Perhaps this was the beginning of Gene's intense inner drive as he went on to prove his doubters wrong. He was selected by the Soo Legion midget team and from there was drafted in the fifth round by the London Knights, where he became a team-mate of Lakehead Captain Joel Scherban. He recorded a win in his first start, despite being outshot 48-26. Gene went on to become an OHL All-Star and also won his final game as a Knight, again being outshot. He attended NHL camps for Chicago (1997), Buffalo (1999), and Columbus in 2000 where Gene again faced disappointment.
We'll let Gene describe this one. "I thought that I had a great chance of making Columbus after my final year in junior but I decided that if I wasn't offered a contract that I would pursue my education at UNB. I attended the training camp and played very well but I was let go a week into training camp as the team had already signed as many goalies as they needed. Looking back, that may have been the biggest disappointment and the lowest point of my entire hockey career. I went to UNB with a heavy heart, slowly coming to the realization that my dream of being a pro hockey player would probably not come true. Even though I earned Second Team All-Star honours in my first two AUS seasons, I never really got over the disappointment of not making it to the professional ranks."
However, Gene would love playing at UNB and became a key component of a very successful team and turned his disappointment into a determination to be the best goaltender he could be for the V-Reds. He lists as highlights being selected to the AUS team that represented Canada at the World University Games in Poland and won silver, as well as the 2002-03 season when UNB won the very tough AUS conference, even though they were already hosting the CIS nationals.
However, July 19th 2003 was the day that the 24 year-olds' life took a radical change in direction. He woke up in the morning looking forward to a fun evening of celebrating his parents' 25th wedding anniversary, but as the day progressed he realized he was having problems seeing and found that he had even become cross-eyed. He let it slide for four days, hoping it would correct itself, but his vision became worse and he went into the hospital for an MRI. The result; a growth on his brain stem that was pressing on his optic nerve and affecting his vision